billy woods – Lead Paint Test featuring ELUCID & Cavalier
“Lead Paint Test” stands as the third and final preview from billy woods’ anticipated album “GOLLIWOG,” due for release today May 9th via his own Backwoodz Studioz imprint. The track brings together woods with his Armand Hammer collaborator ELUCID and New Orleans-based rising talent Cavalier for what many call a song of the year contender.
Producers Willie Green and DJ Mo Niklz craft a meditative boom-bap foundation that provides the perfect backdrop for the trio’s unflinching storytelling. Unlike some of woods’ more experimental production choices, this beat opts for a more contemplative approach with soft piano keys, delicate horns, and considered drums creating space for the lyrics to breathe and resonate.
The track unfolds like a literary triptych, with each artist delivering deeply personal verses examining childhood homes, family trauma, and painful memories. ELUCID opens with evocative descriptions of his childhood home and the harrowing recollections it triggers. Cavalier follows with profound reflections on family relationships, particularly with his parents. He delivers lines like “My mom slaved cause she said ownership was breaking the chains / Me and my father’s main bond was that day we cursed our pigs at our gate / Every black life a thriller.”
After a soothing transition in the minimal beat, woods delivers the closing verse with characteristically devastating precision. His storytelling reaches a new height of emotional impact as he recounts traumatic loss: “Half crushed by the car, dragged herself back/ A caterwaul/ Father put her out her misery on the kitchen floor/ Mom said, ‘Be proud of her, she made it home’/ If these walls could talk, they might not/ After all, we don’t/ One door been locked since when/ Why is never said but we know, we know.”
“GOLLIWOG” arrives after a quieter 2024 following woods’ prolific 2023. The album draws influence from diverse sources, including MF DOOM, Toni Morrison, and sci-fi/horror authors like Ray Bradbury.
Following the album’s release, woods will embark on an extensive tour running from spring through fall.
